


In The Deep Dark Night

by chippy8833



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: First Kiss, First Meetings, First Time, M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-02-08 15:05:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1945689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chippy8833/pseuds/chippy8833
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thomas meets somebody new.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not really sure where this story came from. The whole thing (Chapter 1) popped into my head one day. I guess what I'm saying is, I just really want Thomas to have a legitimate love interest, okay?!

Thomas stared morosely into his pint. Other patrons of the pub bustled around, but paid him no attention. He didn't mind that really. He had been lonely his whole life, so he was used to it.

“You look about as down as an umbrella on a sunny day.”

Thomas looked over his stooped shoulder to see a young man standing next to him at the bar. He was of an average height and build, fair-skinned with dark hair and mischievous brown eyes, and a boyishly handsome face. The man smiled at Thomas.

“And what are you, the ray of sunshine?” Thomas said, after giving him the once over and not being particularly impressed.

“I like to think of myself as someone who makes other people happy. I'm Eric,” he said, sitting on the neighboring bar stool and holding out his hand.

Thomas considered for a moment before finally responding. “I'm Thomas.” He shook the young man's proffered hand.

“Nice to meet you, Thomas. So, do you live nearby?”

“Downton Abbey.”

“Ooh, fancy.”

“Calm down, I'm just a valet.”

“You know, I've never been inside one of those great houses,” Eric said excitedly. “I imagine they're filled with all kinds of wonderful things: beautiful furniture, staircases, bits and bobs.”

“Downton is more of a castle really. There are more rooms in it than you could visit in a day.” Thomas allowed himself to smile a little.

“I'd love to see it,” Eric said. “You should sneak me in and show me around.”

The smile immediately dropped from Thomas's face and was replaced by a look of scorn. “Er, no. I would lose my job.”

“Go on then. It'll be fun. For both of us.” Eric reached out and put his hand on Thomas's knee.

Thomas had a violent reaction, as if Eric had just pressed a hot iron to his skin. He snatched the hand away.

“Easy soldier,” Eric said. “Did you get that in the war?” His eyes indicated Thomas's injured hand.

Thomas realized with embarrassment that he had forgotten his glove. “Yes. I did,” he said, moving his hand out of Eric's sight.

“I was a bit too young myself. But my dad went to war. He never came back.”

Thomas looked the young man up and down again, more wary this time. “I'm sorry for your loss.”

Eric shrugged. “Anyway, why are you so defensive?”

Thomas was incredulous at the question. Could anyone really be that naïve? “First of all, there are loads of people around. And second of all, I've been burned before. I should just swear it off completely. Risking my reputation, my livelihood, my freedom. It's not worth it.”

“Whoever didn't want you must have been blind.” Eric smiled at him with an almost shy demeanor.

Thomas dismissed the compliment. “Why are you interested anyway?” he asked.

“Because you're cute. And you seem nice.”

Thomas had to scoff at this. “You don't know me.”

“I'd like to.” Eric looked at him with wide doe-eyes.

Thomas had been shocked and taken off guard by the open frankness of Eric's advance. But now he paused to consider the proposal. He missed the simple closeness of another human being. Lord knows he didn't have many friends, and lovers were even harder to come by. Thomas knew it was completely foolish and reckless to risk his job for someone he'd met approximately five minutes ago, but the promise of intimacy, even if it was only for a brief while, seemed worth it to him in that moment.

It was one of those nights where the darkness felt deep and oppressive. The moon was only a sliver, a bent, crooked smile. The stars were dimmed by the street lamps, whose light only made the intervening space more obscure. As Thomas and Eric made their way towards Downton Abbey, there was a charged energy that followed them. There was a spring in Thomas's step, that was unfamiliar to him.

Eric tried to keep the conversation going. “Do you enjoy living at Downton?”

“I'm happy for the work,” Thomas replied, “but it's hard because nobody there really likes me.”

“Ooh, bit of a prick are you?” Eric's face was practically lit up with glee.

Thomas glanced at him sideways. “You shouldn't be excited by that.”

“Oh, I rarely do what I should.”

When they got to the manor, Thomas left Eric outside the entrance to the servants' quarters, telling him to stay out of sight. He doubted that anyone else would be up at this hour, but he had to check the hallway and stairs to be certain. His heart was pounding as he crept along the passageway, but he saw and heard no one. He stuck his head out the back door and commanded Eric to hurry inside. The pair slipped into Thomas's bedroom and they were finally safe. Thomas breathed a little sigh of relief.

“So this is your room,” Eric said as he gazed around the sparse space.

“It's not much but it's...” Thomas suddenly found himself shoved up against the wall, which he prayed hadn't woken anybody up. And then Eric was kissing him, and all thoughts of other people were flung away.

Eric kissed him with gusto. He was grabbing and squeezing Thomas's face so hard it nearly hurt. But it felt oh so good to be wanted like that. Thomas's heart was pumping faster and faster, trying desperately to deliver oxygen to his deprived body, because what with him being taken off guard and the kissing and the excitement, he was finding it rather difficult to breathe.

Their bodies crashed together. Lips and tongues collided. Limbs were extricated from jackets. Hands groped. Thomas had forgotten the sensation of the sheer ecstasy of human intimacy. He felt like every inch of his skin was sparking with electricity, and every touch could start a fire. Every repressed desire, smashed down and hidden away, was now exploding inside him.

Eric pulled his lips away from Thomas's, but still clung to him. Very out of breath he said, “Just so we're agreed, one night is five pounds.”

Thomas blinked, uncomprehending. “What?”

“My fee, darling,” Eric said.

Realization slowly dawned on Thomas. He scoffed, a bark of laughter that trailed off into a sneer. He pushed Eric away, his head still spinning. “Wow,” was all he could manage.

“Come on, darling. Don't spoil the mood,” Eric said as he reached up to touch Thomas's face again.

Thomas shoved his hand away. “Me?! Spoil the...?!” he spluttered. He really couldn't believe what was happening. How could he have been so oblivious and stupid? He was thoroughly chagrinned. “That's some scam you've got going there,” he said bitterly. “You preyed on me because I was alone and lonely. You made me believe you were interested in me. You convinced me to bring you here, at great risk of losing my job. You kissed me and got me primed to go, and then you tell me I have to pay?” Thomas shook his head in disgust. “That's some dirty trick.”

“Don't be mean, darling.”

“Don't call me darling,” Thomas snapped.

Eric sidled up to Thomas in a friendly manner. “Look, I'm here now. You want me. I want you. Surely we can work something out.”

“You want my money, not me,” Thomas said as he stepped away.

“Who says I don't want both?”

The two of them shared a look with a hint of recognition of something in the other. “How long has it been for you?” Eric asked gently. “I'm guessing the answer is rather a long time.”

Thomas's face hardened. “Get out,” he barked.

“Was it something I said, darling?” Eric feigned innocence.

Thomas didn't have a lot of pride in who he was, but he wasn't desperate enough to pay somebody to sleep with him. He still managed to find some dignity within himself. He retrieved Eric's jacket from the floor and started forcing him into it. “Come on. I'm taking you back outside.”

“Don't be like that, darling,” Eric protested.

“Sorry that you wasted all that effort on me, but there might still be time to find some other poor sod you can swindle this evening.” Thomas quickly pulled on his own jacket. He needed to make sure that Eric got off the grounds of Downton without being seen. “Stay here,” he ordered.

Cautiously Thomas opened his door a crack and peeked out. When he saw it was all clear, he opened the door fully and stepped out into the hall. He checked all of the servants' doors and the connecting stairwell. He returned to his room. “Hurry up,” he whispered, motioning Eric out. Thomas shuffled him down the hallway and out the back door. They made their way across one of Downton's vast lawns in silence. Thomas made sure they walked as fast as they could without actually running. Finally they reached the main road.

“This is where I'll leave you,” Thomas said. “You know your way back to town.” He said the latter as a statement rather than a question. He turned to go.

“Thomas,” Eric called.

Thomas paused and looked back.

“Will you walk me home?”

Thomas set his mouth in a line and gave Eric a look that said, 'Are you serious?'

Eric continued, “It's just that you invited me out here to a strange place in the middle of the night. It's cold and dark. Really the least you could do is walk me home.” He jutted out his lower lip as he pouted and pleaded. “Please.”

After a long standoff with himself, Thomas finally rolled his eyes and spit out a terse and grumpy, “Fine.” Eric smiled a childishly happy smile.

They walked briskly, shoulder to shoulder, through the empty streets, bracing themselves against the cold and the dark.

“It's a pity we couldn't work something out,” Eric said. “I really did like you, you know. Most of my clients are old and ugly. They don't appreciate me.”

Thomas viewed him sideways. “Maybe if they didn't have to pay you for your company, they would treat you with more respect.”

“There's no need to be rude, darling.” As they walked, Eric slipped his hand out of his coat pocket and latched it onto Thomas's hand, intertwining their fingers.

Thomas stopped dead, though he didn't disentangle their hands. “Why do you do that?!” he asked, becoming agitated.

“Do what?” Eric chirped innocently.

“Pretend like you like me!”

“Who says I'm pretending?”

Thomas let out a small sigh of frustration. He really didn't know what to make of this young man. Slowly, the two of them started walking again, keeping their hands clasped.

They walked for a while, and eventually made their way through a less nice part of town. Eric finally stopped in front of a somewhat rundown house.

“This is me,” he said.

Thomas noticed that there were lights on inside. “Someone waiting for you?” he asked.

“That's just my mum.”

“Does she know what you do?”

Eric smiled at Thomas. “It's a family business, darling. Since Dad died.”

Thomas was surprised by this, but he was even more surprised when Eric grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him into the nearby alleyway and into the shadows between the buildings. Eric gave him a long, sweet kiss.When their lips parted, Eric said, “Maybe next time I'll invite you inside.”

“Next time?” Thomas asked in confusion.

“Come to the pub tomorrow night.”

“Won't you be working?” Thomas sniped.

Eric shrugged. “If I'm not there, you'll know that I found someone better.”

Thomas smiled just a little.

“Will you come?” Eric asked.

Thomas considered for a moment. He glanced down at the ground and then back up at Eric. Eric took this as a yes and grinned from ear to ear. He landed a peck on Thomas's cheek before practically skipping into the house.

Thomas came out from the shadowy alley. He allowed a crooked half-smile to cross his face. As he looked up, he saw light on the horizon, heralding the rising sun.


	2. Light Into Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas and Eric have a second encounter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of people asked me to continue this story (and honestly, I did sort of set it up as if there was going to be more), so here it is! *cough*two years later*cough*

Thomas could feel his heart pounding as he sipped his beer at the bar and nervously waited to see if Eric would actually show. Part of him was desperate to see Eric again, but another part of him was relieved at the thought that he wasn’t coming. It had been so long since Thomas had done this and he was scared of what might happen. One thing he knew for certain was that he was putting his career and his life at risk. Not that that mattered much. Thomas had been feeling more and more lately that his sad, wretched life wasn’t worth living. Eric, or even just the idea of Eric, was the only thing currently making it bearable. 

Thomas looked at his watch again. He had been there nursing his pint for 20 minutes, growing more and more convinced with every passing second that Eric had found a client for the night. Just then, he felt a hand clap his shoulder.

“Darling, you came!”

Thomas looked round to see Eric beaming at him, bubbly and a little bit coy at the same time.

“You didn’t find someone better to go off with then?”

“Well, I looked everywhere but I couldn’t find anyone I like more than you.”

Thomas couldn’t keep himself from smiling. “Do you ever turn off the charm?”

Eric shrugged. “What can I say, darling? I’m just a natural charmer.” With that, he grabbed the half-drunk beer out of Thomas’s hand and gulped the rest of it down, Thomas managing only a feeble, “Hey!” in protest. Eric placed the glass back on the bar, still keeping one hand on Thomas’s shoulder. “Now then, shall we get out of here?”

“And go where?” Thomas asked.

“To mine.”

“Won’t your mum be there?”

“Oh no darling. She’s off visiting her sister in Wokingham. Won’t be back for several days. And nights.” Eric raised his eyebrows suggestively on the last line.

Thomas hesitated, but before his brain could even formulate a reason not to go, Eric had taken him by the hand and pulled him towards the door. As they walked, Thomas found that he wasn’t thinking, he was just going. And it felt exhilarating to be free and unburdened, even for a minute. Eric insisted on holding hands the entire way. Thomas was terrified of someone seeing them, but Eric pointed out that if they walked close enough, nobody could see what their hands were doing. Thomas finally gave in, and after getting over his initial fear, it made him deliriously happy to think that he and Eric were touching, skin to skin, out in the open, right under people’s noses, and no one knew it. Thomas suddenly felt invincible.

The walk to Eric’s house seemed awfully short, especially given Thomas’s euphoria.

“Home sweet home, darling,” Eric said as he stopped in front of the slightly shabby building.

The house was dark, almost foreboding, and Thomas began to feel apprehensive. He looked around nervously. Paranoid thoughts began to race through his mind. What if someone was watching them? What if this was a trap, some kind of revenge because Thomas refused to pay the other night?

Eric took Thomas’s arm, bringing him out of his uneasy reverie. Eric smiled at him, straightforward and reassuring. Thomas was amazed at how unabashed Eric was about what he wanted, and he realized that his fears were ridiculous.

“Come on,” Eric said, pulling Thomas inside. He had just barely managed to close the door behind them before he had Thomas up against the wall and was kissing him deeply. To Thomas, the kiss felt like a sigh and the release of something long pent up.

Eric pulled away slowly. “The wait to do that again was nearly killing me.” He grinned under heavy lids. “I’ll show you to my room.” He grabbed Thomas’s hand and led him upstairs to the first room at the top of the landing. He swung the door wide and exclaimed “Ta da!” with a flourish.

Thomas saw a relatively sparse room with a bed and a nightstand... But before he had time to take in anything else, Eric had grabbed him by the shoulders, spun him round and pushed him backwards into an armchair, which tipped back a little as he fell into it. The next moment Eric was straddling him, his knees on either side of Thomas’s thighs. At first Thomas was stunned. His fingers dug into the arms of the chair as he gawped up at Eric. Wasting no time, Eric grabbed Thomas by the face with both hands and kissed him again.

Thomas hadn’t felt desired like this in a very long time. Wanting and being wanted in return was the most joyous thing. Eric’s lips on his, Eric’s tongue against his, his heart pounding in his chest, his erection pressing against the confines of his trousers, all combined to make Thomas’s head spin. His hands almost instinctively found their way to Eric’s upper legs. They slid up and around to Eric’s ass. Thomas pulled him closer, grinding their crotches together. This elicited a moan from Eric as he continued kissing Thomas passionately. He ran his hands roughshod through Thomas’s hair. Eric pulled back to admire his handiwork. Thomas looked gloriously debauched with his lips red from kissing and his jet-black tousled locks. Eric leaned down again, kissing Thomas’s neck fervently. The flesh was hot and Eric could feel the pulse of blood beneath it. His teeth scraped delicately across skin. Thomas moaned and lifted his head, giving Eric more access. His body was on fire and Eric’s lips and tongue fueled the flames.

“I don’t usually do this,” Eric said softly into Thomas’s ear. “I prefer women.”

“What?!” Thomas jerked his head away as if he’d been slapped. “You go with women?!”

Eric couldn’t help but be amused at the look of shock and obvious jealousy on Thomas’s face. “Mm hmm,” he hummed as he began unbuttoning Thomas’s shirt.

“Then why do you go with men?”

“Because they pay for it, darling. Women don’t.” He eased Thomas’s shirt off over his shoulders.

“Have you been with a lot of women?” Thomas asked quietly.

Eric grinned and twitched his eyebrows in answer. He pulled Thomas’s undershirt over his head and tossed it to the floor. He ran his hands greedily up Thomas’s chest, enjoying the feel of stiff nipples against his palms. He ground his pelvis into Thomas’s and was relieved to find he was still hard.

Thomas gripped Eric’s hips, not impeding his movements, but holding him there. “What are these women to you?”

“Just a bit of fun, darling.” Eric ran his hand up the nape of Thomas’s neck and cupped the back of his head. He leaned down and nibbled gently on his earlobe.

“And the men?” Thomas asked.

Eric pulled back and looked at him in all seriousness. “That’s business.”

“What does that make me then?”

Eric grinned widely. “You’re something else.” He slid out of the chair, grabbed Thomas’s hand and yanked him up. He spun him slightly and pushed him backwards onto the bed. He maneuvered himself between Thomas’s legs, standing over him.

Thomas propped himself up on his elbows. “But why...”

“Shhhh.” Eric leaned down and pressed his finger against Thomas’s lips. “No more talking. Isn’t it enough that in this moment I want you and you want me and we both want this? Can’t we just leave it at that?”

“You want me?” Thomas asked, curious and doubtful. “And you don’t expect me to pay?”

“I want you so much I’m willing to give it to you for free,” Eric said as he pulled off Thomas’s shoes and socks. He leaned down and undid Thomas’s trousers. Thomas scooched back a bit and tucked his feet up on the bed, allowing him to helpfully raise his hips as Eric yanked his trousers off and flung them to the floor. Eric then unceremoniously pulled off Thomas’s cream-colored underwear and tossed those too.

Thomas stared up at Eric, fully naked, lust practically radiating from his eyes. He was now certain that Eric wanted him, his whole body and being. All his nagging doubts had vanished.

Eric was still shamefully fully dressed, but when he saw the change in Thomas’s face, he began tearing frantically at his own clothes, desperate to get them off as quickly as possible. Once nude, he bounced onto the bed and began kissing and licking and touching all of Thomas’s torso. Thomas laid back and sighed loudly, not realizing just how much he had been missing and craving Eric’s touch in those few minutes he was without it.

Eric nuzzled his face against Thomas’s ear. “Tell me what you want me to do,” he said softly.

“I’m not one of your clients, you know,” Thomas said back.

“I just want to make you happy, darling.”

Thomas gripped Eric’s shoulders. “I want you on me.” He guided Eric’s body down until their chests were flush together and their hips side by side. He pulled Eric’s face in for a long kiss. The position was slightly awkward, but Thomas didn’t care because he had a hot, breathing, pulsing body against his own. He had lips and a tongue against his own, and nothing in the world could’ve made him happier.

Eric pulled back from the kiss with a sweet smile on his lips. “Shall I touch you?” he asked.

“Oh god yes.” The reply came out more breath than words.

Eric spat into the palm of his hand and gently took hold of Thomas’s hard cock. Thomas gasped and his head spun. Eric began pumping his fist slowly up and down the shaft, his hand gliding over hot, sensitive flesh. Thomas practically squirmed at the touch. It was almost too much for him to take. Eric kissed and nibbled at Thomas’s neck as he continued stroking, pausing occasionally to rub his thumb under Thomas’s foreskin around the tip of the glans. Thomas moaned and grabbed Eric’s shoulder with one hand. He gripped it tight and could feel his short nails digging into pliant skin.

Eric had one leg thrown over Thomas’s lower half and Thomas could feel Eric’s rigid member thrusting insistently against his outer thigh. He spat into his own hand and squeezed it down between their bodies to take ahold of Eric’s cock. It was pleasantly thick and hefty. Eric gasped and rubbed his forehead against Thomas’s neck, nuzzling his nose into his collarbone. Thomas could feel Eric’s breath on his chest and the heat pouring off every inch of his body. He began stroking, slowly at first, matching Eric’s pace. Soon, they both began pumping more rapidly. They moaned and panted at an ever-increasing rate. Thomas had Eric’s shoulder in a vice-like grip. Eric used his free hand to grab hold of Thomas’s hair, and Thomas was surprised at how good it felt. They were stroking faster and faster and faster until, with one last long gasp, they both released. Thomas’s muscles contracted rhythmically for a few seconds before they finally calmed and stilled. He almost felt dizzy as he came down from his orgasm, like he had just been on a twirly ride at the fair. Eric had collapsed into his arms with a blissful look on his face. They laid together for a few moments feeling their bodies pulse against each other as their hearts pumped gallantly and their lungs heaved for air. After a few minutes their bodily rhythms returned to normal.

With a sigh and a great effort, Eric pushed himself off the bed. Thomas watched his lover retreat, in all his beautiful nakedness, into a side room. He returned with a hand towel, which he was using to clean his torso. He climbed onto the bed and gently wiped Thomas’s chest and abdomen.

“You alright, darling?” he whispered.

“No,” Thomas said, reaching out his arms.

With a grin, Eric tossed the towel aside and snuggled into Thomas’s embrace. They just laid there for a few minutes basking and peaceful.

“Eric?” Thomas said.

“Hmm?” Eric mumbled sleepily.

“Did you ever think about getting a real job?”

“I had a job as a paperboy once,” Eric said, more awake now. “But it didn’t half put bread on the table.”

“Have you thought about getting one these days?”

“Oh yes. People are lining up to employ me. ‘Has sexual relations with men for money’ makes for a very impressive CV.”

“Forget it then,” Thomas snapped.

Eric peered at Thomas, propping himself up on one elbow. “Look darling, it’s not that I wouldn’t like to have a legitimate job, but look at me. I dropped out of school when I was twelve, I’ve got no skills. What am I supposed to tell potential employers I’ve been doing for the past seven years?”

“We’ll make something up,” Thomas said.

“We?”

“The Abbey has been in need of a footman for some time. I could give you a reference.”

“I’m not sure ‘gives good hand jobs’ will sway your employers as much as it does you.”

Thomas gave Eric a withering look. “Do you not want to work there then?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Or is it that you don’t want to work with me?”

“Darling...” Eric protested.

“Was this just a one-off?” Thomas asked quietly.

Eric brushed his hand over Thomas’s breast and shoulder. “I hope not.”

“So do you want the job?”

Eric looked at him uncertainly. “Why would they hire me? I don’t know the first thing about being a footman.”

“I’ll teach you some basic skills before the interview.”

“Do you really think it’ll work?” Eric asked, unconvinced.

“I know it will.”

“What if I fail?”

“I won’t let you.” Thomas ran his hand up Eric’s back reassuringly. “Would you be willing to give up your lifestyle?”

“It was never going to go on forever, darling. I’m getting a bit long in the tooth, and the clients always seem to want them young.”

Thomas laughed a little. “You’re not old.” The smile fell from his lips as a new thought crossed his mind. “Would you be with me only, and nobody else?”

Eric looked into his eyes. “If that’s what you want.”

“Won’t you miss...women?”

“I can’t make any promises darling, but I don’t think I shall miss them much if I’ve got you.” He gave Thomas a gentle peck on the lips.

“So what do you say?” Thomas asked.

“I say...let’s give it a go.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Eric rested his forehead and nose against Thomas’s. They both smiled and giggled. Eric settled himself back down into Thomas’s arms and sighed happily.

Thomas grinned as he absentmindedly caressed Eric’s skin. For the first time in a very long time, he felt the world was full of promise it planned to keep. Eric had brought light into the darkness, and Thomas felt a happiness he had never known before.


End file.
